Country diary: spring sunshine heralds a trip to the beach

Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: The tranquil sea echoes the uneven blue of the sky, and small wavelets break in elegant crescents on the shorelineA day of sunshine, after the striking reversals of the weather in recent weeks, is something to be celebrated. Turning my back on the hills, I set out to walk to the coast a few miles distant. Following days of cold, grey cloud, the injection of colour from the open sky was revelatory - the swelling buds and early catkins giving a hint that maybe, just maybe, winter was on the wane.Cresting the hill above Aberystwyth opened up a panoramic view across the breadth of Cardigan Bay. I skirted the town along seldom used paths and reached the sea just below the impressive mass of Constitution Hill. What little wind that remained from the storm was blowing offshore, leaving the sea tranquil and echoing the uneven blue of the sky. Small wavelets, surging and breaking in elegant crescents on the shoreline, reflected the wider story of the conditions far out to sea. Continue reading...